


Music Matters

by spacewitchqueen (vixy)



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluffy Ending, Kylux - Freeform, M/M, Music, benarmie, verymerrykylux
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-11 23:46:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9044309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vixy/pseuds/spacewitchqueen
Summary: Armitage Hux and Ben Solo become good friends through music. Can music take them somewhere else?





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fluffybunnyremi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fluffybunnyremi/gifts).



Another boring day at school. Ben was daydreaming about how he wished to be outside, crunching dry leaves under his feet, jumping in puddles, riding his bike downhill and getting home to play guitar. While he was lost in his reverie he was also doodling on his notebook. He looked up from his drawing and absentmindedly stared at the redhead a few seats in front of him. He looked back at his notebook. Yes, it was a good likeness.

  


The bell rang. Ben put his things away as fast as he could but by the time he got up from his desk, the redhead had already left. It’s not like he wanted to talk to him or anything. He sighed. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and shuffled out of the classroom, stopping and crouching just outside the door to tie his shoelace. Ben felt something collide with his side and when he turned he saw the redhead sprawled on the floor.

“Were you trying to make someone trip?”

“I’m sorry! H-Hux, isn’t it?” Ben helped him up and picked Hux’s things from the floor.

“Never mind.” Hux mumbled. He held out his hand to get his backpack from Ben. Only Ben was looking at it.

“Do you like Empire?” Ben asked, impressed. Faking surprise was more like it because of course he knew Hux liked that band. He had noticed the sticker and the buttons in his bag when he had first seen the new transfer student a few weeks ago.

“Yes.” Hux replied crisply and turned on his heel.

“They play tonight, don’t they?” Ben pressed.

“Do  _ you  _ like them?” Hux turned back, truly surprised.

“Yes! I wish I could go but the show’s sold out.” Ben shrugged. Hux looked at him for a moment and nodded.

“Meet me in front of the school at 8 tonight.” 

“You have an extra ticket?”

“Do you want to go or not? Just... be here.”

Hux dashed out of the classroom and Ben was left wondering what had happened. He did want to talk to Hux, he had been meaning to mention the band and maybe Hux would say he liked it and maybe then they could talk about something else. And now here he was, stunned, still standing in the same spot. He had never even talked to this guy and now they were going to a concert?

  


A quarter past eight. Ben tapped his foot and looked around impatiently, there was no sign of Hux. He had half a mind to go back home, thinking bitterly that Hux had fooled him. Ben turned to the corner one last time and he heard the unmistakeable sound of a car approaching. He smiled.

Hux rolled down the passenger’s side window, music -Empire, of course- blared out.

“Get in.”

Hux got the car moving before Ben had buckled up.

“Sorry for being late, had to sneak out of the house. My father doesn’t approve of ‘that awful noise you call music’.” Hux said in a mock voice.

“Yeah, my mom doesn’t exactly like it either. I told her I had to work on a group project.” Ben grinned.

  


Twenty minutes later they had parked the car and were pushing past people to get as close to the stage as they could.

Ben was very excited, it was his first concert. He’d always liked music but he’d never seriously thought about going to a show, he didn’t have anyone to go with. And now he was here with a cool guy, a guy he happened to like.

  


“So what’s your favorite song?” Hux asked Ben over the babble. 

“Oh, I really like the new album but my favorite will always be ‘Death Star’.” Ben said, trying to look and sound knowledgeable, eager to get Hux’s approval. Ben was ready, he had prepared, he had studied the band, memorized the songs, watched interviews, all of it since he had seen that sticker on Hux’s backpack. He actually liked the band now coming to think of it.

“You do know that’s not the real name of that song, don’t you?”

“Yeah, no, I know,” Ben bit his lip. “It’s just…”

“How the fans know it.” They said at the same time.  

“I like it because, it feels somehow incomplete, unfinished but… powerful.” Ben clenched his fist to complete his explanation.

“Cool.” Hux nodded. Ben beamed.

  


Ben would have liked to talk more but the opening band was much too loud and after they finished playing it felt like no time at all before Empire took the stage. Everything was chaos then. Fans in a frenzy, singing, screaming, dancing, jumping, pushing. People were getting between him and Hux but just before Ben could make up his mind about grabbing Hux’s shoulder for support, Hux held his hand to keep him steady. Ben couldn’t wipe the smile off his face for the rest of the concert. 

  


There was still a spring to his step as they walked to Hux’s car.

“It was really good, wasn’t it?” Ben asked, his voice shrill.

“Yeah, awesome.” Hux smiled but there seemed to be something bothering him.

Ben was singing at the top of his lungs and suddenly stopped.

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah, don’t mind me. I’m glad you had a good time.”

“You didn’t?”

“I enjoyed the show, it’s just…” Hux clenched his jaw. Then it dawned on Ben.

“You had planned to come with someone else.” Ben looked down and scrunched the ticket stub inside his pocket.

“Yeah… but he’s a jerk anyway. I’m glad you came with me instead.” Hux smiled and he looked sincere.

“Thanks for bringing me, Hux. Armitage. Armie.” Ben blurted out without thinking. Hux raised an eyebrow but didn’t complain.

  


It was almost midnight when Hux dropped Ben off. He had insisted on taking him home instead of letting him walk by himself from school. Hux wouldn’t take Ben’s money for the ticket either. “You’ll buy the tickets next time” Hux had said and Ben couldn’t believe that there might be a next time.

  


Ben couldn’t concentrate at school the next day. All he did was hum, tap his pen on the desk to the rhythm of his humming and, when a teacher asked him to be quiet or leave the classroom, Ben settled for staying and drawing Hux and himself as rockstars. He was singing again by the time the bell rang but stopped when Hux approached him. Ben felt embarrassed for a second but then he saw Armitage was smiling.

“Would you like to see my record collection?”  

They became good friends after that. Ben would go to Hux’s house to listen to his vintage vinyls, watch videos and finish homework hurriedly in the last few minutes before leaving, and Hux would go to Ben’s house to listen to him play guitar and to talk about Empire and other bands they liked. On weekends, they liked going to record stores and discovering new music or just ‘helping’ the staff rearrange the records in what they considered to be a much better classification. And of course, they liked going to concerts together.

  


On Ben’s eighteenth birthday, they were in Ben’s room singing a more metal version of Happy Birthday. 

“Happy birthdaaaaay toooo meeeeeeee.” Ben screamed in his best demon-summoned-from-the-deepest-pit-of-hell voice. Hux rolled his eyes but laughed all the same. 

“I didn’t buy you a present but…” Armitage said, his cheeks slightly flushed.

“Oh, don’t worry about it.” Ben shook his head. He didn’t exactly like his birthdays but if he had to be honest with himself, he was happy Hux was here with him celebrating the fact that he existed.

“But… I want you to have this.” Hux held something between his thumb and forefinger. Ben looked at it incredulously. “It’s a silly thing.”

“Is it… a guitar pick?”

“Yeah. I picked it up during my first concert but I don’t play guitar, I thought you might like it.”

Ben was awestruck. He wasn’t sure if the situation called for a hug so he opened his arms and walked forward but hesitated at the last moment and just shook Hux’s hand somewhat awkwardly instead. They stared at each other for a few seconds in a not-quite-uncomfortable silence and then Hux broke the tension.

“So try it out, then. Play something!”

Ben played Death Star, of course.

“You know, I didn’t like that song that much before but I think it’s growing on me.” Hux admitted.

  


One day, a few weeks later, Ben couldn’t wait to get to school. He ran all the way to the classroom and almost knocked Hux’s desk over in his excitement.

  


"Did you hear?" Ben almost yelled.

"About the summer tour? Yes, I heard." Hux said, pretending to be more interested in the text he had been reading a second before.

"We could follow them for a couple of weeks, isn't it great?" Ben pressed, grabbing Hux’s jacket and shaking him. Hux swatted at Ben’s hands.

"It would be great if we could go but… too expensive." 

"I have money!" Ben screamed, now ruffling Hux’s hair.

"Oh... Well I guess... have fun then." Hux pushed Ben’s hand away again hoping he didn’t sound too hurt.

"Don't be an idiot, you're coming with me. You have the car."

  


Hux’s heart swelled in his chest, he could almost feel Ben’s excitement for a second but then he shook his head, no, they couldn’t do this. He tried halfheartedly to refuse, argumenting that it was too much money.

“Hux, please, my grandfather would be happy to hear I’m putting the money he left me to good use.” 

“I doubt he’d consider following a band around the country ‘good use’.” 

“Yeah, well, you didn’t know him. He’d think it was wisely invested as long as I am happy.”

Hux still shook his head.

“Even so, I bet your parents won’t be thrilled when you tell them.”

“Wrong.” 

“You already told them… and they said yes?” Hux asked, mouth hanging open in awe. Ben grinned. He thought his mother wouldn’t hear of it but to his surprise, his mother -who knew how much Ben cared about this band, about Hux- agreed that it was a good idea for Ben to do something he was enthusiastic about instead of brooding around the house all summer, and she had actually talked to his father to convince him.

“Still…” Hux looked down, searching for words.

“Or is it just that you don’t want to come with me? It’s fine, just say so.” Ben shrugged his shoulders. 

“I do, but… my father… he won’t…” Hux stuttered. Ben looked at him with piercing eyes. Hux Sr. could not care less where his son decided to spend the last summer before going to college. Ben knew as much,  Hux had no excuses left.

“Follow the band, then?”

“Follow the band!”

  


The first few days were pure exhilaration, the road ahead of them and music everywhere: in the car, in the hotel rooms and, of course, the concerts. Ben collected his first setlist and a couple of picks during the first week. They began staying after the shows were over, running to the back of the venues, hoping to meet their idols but so far, no luck. It didn’t really matter. Ben was having the time of his life and he could tell that Hux was having a great time too. They barely slept when they got to their room, they discussed the gigs in excruciating detail and they talked about their dreams.

  


“Can you imagine? Doing that for a living?” Ben asked Hux one night. “It must be amazing, traveling around the world, doing what you love! People cheering, screaming your name!” Ben stood up on the bed, raising his arms to greet an invisible crowd.

“I don’t think that’s for me.”

“What? Of course it would be, imagine people chanting ‘Armie, Armie, Armie!’ your fans would go wild.” Ben was playing air guitar and jumping on the bed now.

“No, I leave that to you.” Hux laughed. “It’d be fun to tour but I don’t know, maybe as a roadie or something. You be the rockstar.”

“Then you’d be the manager! Always on the phone, booking gigs and stuff, making sure I get only the best things.” 

“Yes, only the best for bratty prince Ben, rebel Ben, rockstar Ren.” Hux bowed his head.

“Ren?”

“Sorry. Slip of the tongue.”

“No, no, I like it! Ren. Ren. Makes a great stage name.”

“If you say so.” Hux yawned. “Now get off the bed, rockstar, before you wreck it.”

  


Ben jumped down and let himself fall back on the bed. He patted the pillow next to him for Hux to sit down, he did. A few minutes later, Hux was nested against Ben’s chest, Ben’s arms around him. They were tired  after a week of driving, waiting in lines and staying up late; they should get some sleep but neither of them wanted to move, even though they weren’t really paying attention to the TV. Ben was dozing off, nuzzling Hux’s neck and Hux was warm and cozy in Ben’s arms but he didn’t feel sleepy, he very much wanted to turn around and kiss Ben, but that would be completely inappropriate, wouldn’t it? 

  


Ben was half asleep already, wondering if holding Hux like this was too much, maybe it was but it felt right. He hugged Hux a little tighter and then he felt him move. Hux had turned around, they faced each other for a second and then Hux stood up as if something had burned him, stumbling backwards, muttering something that sounded like ‘sorry’; he ran to the bathroom and locked the door behind him. Ben was fully awake now, worried that he’d made Hux feel uncomfortable. Meanwhile, Hux was leaning against the bathroom door, panicking that he’d scared Ben.

  


The next morning and the following week were somehow awkward, both of them acting almost too nice, trying to guess if the other was upset or angry in any way. They still enjoyed the road trip and the shows but there was a subtle tension between them. Whenever Ben tried to talk about what had happened that night, to find out if Hux had freaked out or if it had been something else, Hux would abruptly change the subject and blush. Ben didn’t know what to do. On one hand, he didn’t want to bother Hux with silly questions. On the other hand, he really wanted to tell him how he felt about him.

  


During the last show, things were almost back to normal. Hux looked relaxed and this in turn made Ben loosen up, too. They were cheerful, talking about how much fun they’d had and feeling a bit nostalgic because it was about to be over. They sang all the songs as loud as they could, they jumped and danced the whole show, leaning against each other during the ballads and swaying. Ben turned to whisper something in Hux’s ear, some silly fact he’d heard about how a particularly slow song was written. Only he didn’t get to share this piece of information because in that moment Hux turned to him and their lips met. It took a millisecond for Ben to realize what was happening, and another one to notice that Hux had his eyes closed and he had not moved away. Ben felt as if he’d been hit by lightning, he couldn’t even hear the music all around him, he closed his eyes too. When he opened them again Hux was looking at the stage but he could not hide the pink blush of his cheeks. Ben smiled and tried to return his attention to the show.

  


“That was amazing!” Ben mouthed to Hux after the last song, his voice hoarse.

“Best show I’ve been to. They’ve still got it.” Hux looked away from the stage, something very much like sadness in his eyes.

They didn’t talk much in the way back to the hotel. When they got to their room, Hux spoke first.

  


“I never thought I’d do something like this… with someone… a friend...” Hux seemed to be at a loss for words. Ben was confused, was he talking about the tour or about something else? He decided to take the safe route.

“You know, we could do it again next year… maybe not with Empire but another band. I’d definitely love to do another trip like this.” Ben wanted to add  _ ‘with you’  _ but he didn’t want to sound clingy. Hux’s expression seem to harden.

“I don’t know. Money. College. I don’t think I’ll be able to do this again in a very long time, so… thank you.”

“What so we’re not going to see each other again after this?” Ben joked. “There are many shows near your campus, we could go…”

“I don’t know.” Hux interrupted him.

“But all we have talked about… forming a band…”

“Is that all you care about? Don’t be ridiculous, that’s just a fantasy!” Hux interrupted him again, visibly angry.

“But the kiss…”

“Was just a kiss, Ben. It was a nice moment but it doesn’t mean anything, leave it be.”

  


Hux slept on the floor that night, facing the wall, as far away from the bed as he could. When he got up Ben had already left. There was a note that said ‘Thank you for everything. Gonna take the bus home.” Hux crunched the note but pocketed it anyway and left.

  


They didn’t see each other before leaving for college, pride and shame on both parts prevented it. But, while Ben surrounded himself in music, Hux stopped listening to it altogether. He couldn’t help associating every song to Ben in some way or another and he’d rather not have that reminder. However, Hux did hear that the lead singer of Empire had been in an accident and that the band was looking for a replacement. He felt sad but he also thought this was good because maybe the new guy would suck and he wouldn’t like the stupid band anymore.

  


Some months later, Hux was busy studying when his phone buzzed. A message from Ben. Hux’s heart jumped to his throat. He thought about ignoring the message but he already had the phone in his hand and was opening it.

_ ‘Wanna check out Empire’s new singer?’ _

Hux rolled his eyes, he felt his blood boiling. He thought about deleting the message. He thought about replying that  _ no, of course not, go to hell you fucking idiot, you left me in a hotel room, you didn’t talk to me for months and you still care more about some fucking band than about me _ instead, his fingers typed ‘ _ yes. _ ’

He waited, he could see Ben typing. Buzz.

_ ‘Tonight’s show. Your ticket is at the box office.’ _

_ ‘You’re not even coming with me?’ _

_ ‘I will be there’ _

  


That night found Hux standing outside the venue, waiting for Ben. His heart was racing. He was mad at himself for leaving everything to go see Ben, sorry,  _ Empire _ . Hux thought about going back to his dorm but something caught his eye. Ben. Well, not exactly Ben. Ben staring at him from a poster.

“What the hell?”

Hux took out his phone and searched for ‘Empire’. All the top search results talked about their new singer Kylo Ren.  _ Ren. _ No way. Could it be? He opened the envelope he’d been given at the box office and he found a backstage pass. He showed it to a security guard and was led straight to…

“Ben!”

“Hey, I thought you wouldn’t come.” Ben looked down. Hux couldn’t believe it. Ben looked taller, broader, he looked like a rockstar and he was too shy to look Hux in the eye?

“How...?” Hux asked.

“Audition.” Ben looked up at him, the hint of a smile on his lips.

“Why… why didn’t you tell me?”

“I thought you didn’t want to talk to me.” Ben looked down again.

“But you still called me here tonight… what, to rub it in my face?”

“No!” Ben raised his voice, alarmed. “Never! I just thought… We always talked about how cool it would be to go backstage and meet the band and well… I know this isn’t much but  this is the only thing I might be able to do for you.” 

“You… you big idiot!” Hux yelled at him but he was laughing. He lounged himself at Ben and hugged him. “All I ever wanted was for you to care about me.”

“I do!”

“Yeah, well, I know  _ now _ .”

“Now? When…?”

“From the very beginning.”

“But you hesitated so much to agree to the summer tour…” Ben said, taking a step back to look at Hux.

“I was nervous. I wasn’t sure you liked me, I was afraid I’d let something slip and ruin it.”

“But the kiss! You said it didn’t mean anything!”

“I wanted to talk about my feelings for you and you were uttering nonsense about a band! I thought you didn’t care about me, that it truly had been just a spur of the moment.”

Ben leaned in and kissed him, holding Hux as close as he could. Hux walked forward to push Ben against the wall. They were grinding against each other, hands underneath shirts when someone interrupted them. 

“Ren, it’s time.” The band’s manager had caught them making out, Hux blushed crimson.

“I gotta go…” Ben said breathlessly, pointing his head towards the stage. “You’re stage side, I’ll introduce you to the band afterwards, if you want.” Hux nodded, he was overwhelmed. Ben kissed him again, softly and then walked away. After a couple of steps, he turned back at Hux.

  


“You never told me what your favorite song was.”

“Oh, you know, I really like the new record, but my favorite will always be ‘Death Star’” Hux mimicked the words Kylo had said at their first gig together. “It really is my favorite.”

Ben laughed and winked.

  


Hux took his place at the side of the stage. There were only a few others there, people close to the band, obviously. He was ecstatic, it hit him how much he had missed music and how much he had been missing Ben. Ren. He couldn’t believe that the shy, awkward guy he knew looked so well under the spotlight, he was dancing, singing his heart out. He came back to his senses when he heard Ren was speaking.

  


“Thank you! You’re all beautiful! Thank you! Now, I’d like to dedicate this next song to someone very special… He’s...  here’s Death Star.”

  


Ren sang with such raw emotion, Hux was on the very edge of the stage, singing along, wishing he could run to him. He didn’t have to. During the instrumental bridge, Ren strode to Hux, lifted him up and kissed him deeply, passionately, spinning a few times. The crowd cheered and clapped. Ren went back to the center of the stage to finish the song. Hux’s head was still spinning, his heart beating a mad rhythm in his chest. He met Ren’s eyes and nodded, he’d go wherever he went. Who knew what would happen? In this moment, all that Hux knew was that dreams do come true.

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: For the prompts: Happy endings, AUs are awesome  
> I hope you like this!


End file.
